The Arctis Protocol
by Avalanche Wolf
Summary: The Director is dead. Project Freelancer is done. The Reds and Blues can now rest in peace. But they can't. A last mission from a secret freelancer agent to kill the individuals who know about Project Freelancer. Can the last two Freelancers stop the one who was trained to kill them with the help of the Reds and Blues?
1. Prologue

"Agent Carolina, if you would be so kind as to leave me your pistol." The Director reached out and stopped Carolina, his hand resting on her arm. She looked down at the man as a video played in the background of a woman dressed in a UNSC Marine uniform. Carolina drew her pistol and set it on the table beside her. She leaned down and kissed the man's head before standing up and walking out of the room. A cobalt hologram of a Spartan stood opposite of where Carolina stood, watching as she walked off. This was Epsilon, the memory unit of the original AI, Alpha, but he went by his name, Church. The Director looked down as he replaced his glasses. "You...were my greatest creation." Church looked at him. "Like I care. After what you did to me, to us, you don't deserve any sympathy." The Director barely moved his head toward the hologram. "I wasn't talking to you." Church looked at him and shook his head, walking out of the room following Carolina, and leaving the broken man. The Director looked up at the screen of the woman and sighed. "Play it again Phyllis." A voice spoke with the sound of a young woman. "Beginning playback." He watched as the video started again. "Thank you Phyllis. I want you to erase all the files in our data bases except this one." Phyllis spoke with a slight shock in her voice. "But Director, that will also erase me." He nodded. "I am aware Phyllis. Do it." She accepted his command. "Of course." He then reached over and took the pistol in his hand. "Also...I want you to shut down all systems in the facility." Phyllis spoke with concern. "Director, this is a secure facility. If I shut down all systems, you will be sealed in." He spoke without worry. "I am aware. Proceed." As she spoke, the door began to close. "Yes sir. Did you find what you were looking for?" This time, he shook his head. "No. But I came close. Maybe...in the next iteration." Phyllis spoke with sadness in her heart. "It has been an honor working with you, Director." The Director loaded a round in the chamber and lifted the pistol, placed the barrel on the bottom of his chin, watching as the woman spoke. "_Never say goodbye. I hate goodbyes._" He closed his eyes and a single tear ran down his cheek as the pistol let out a single roar, and he felt no more pain.

_**Attention: Director vitals: 0**_

_**Status: Deceased**_

_**Searching Files...No Files Found**_

_**Searching Emergency Files...1 File Found**_

_**Running File...Initiating Arctis Protocol**_

The words ran across a screen, bringing an AI to life on the small column. She stood only three and a half inches tall. Blue and green data ran up the curves of her body, and her hair was long, reaching the middle of her back, with a single strand swaying along the left side of her face. She brought up a holographic screen and ran her fingers over it. With a touch of a single button, she turned and watched the cryo pod near her open. Inside was a large man, standing close to seven feet in height. He wore Spartan armor, colored a blood red with black highlights along the trim. His face was exposed, showing multiple scars on his face. His hair was cut very short, barely showing his black hair. His eyes fluttered open and he looked down at the AI with the deepest of blue eyes. He stepped out of the cryo tube, the ground crunching under his weight at first. He rolled his neck and then walked closer to the column. "Omicron, why did you wake me up?" The AI looked up, her face and tone serious. "The Director is dead. The Arctis Protocol has been activated." The man barely cringed. He only knew the Director very little, but he knew what the Arctis Protocol was, and his mission it entailed. "Are there any surviving Freelancers from the project?" She nodded. "Yes. Two. Agent Washington and Agent Carolina are still alive and active. Records show that they made contact with others who have significant, if not complete, knowledge about Project Freelancer." He nodded. Omicron wouldn't give him false information. She was always reliable. According to his orders to his last mission, any and all persons with knowledge about the project were to be removed, as well as any living Freelancers. He picked up his helmet and sealed it shut, locking himself in his suit. "I trust my weapons and equipment are all accounted for?" Omicron nodded. "They are in the storage bay, prepared and ready for you." He walked up and transferred the AI into a chip, removing her from the column and placing her into his helmet, connecting her to him. "Then lets clean up the mess." Her voice spoke through his speakers. "Let us find my brother and destroy him. I am ready when you are, Agent Alaska."


	2. 3 Years Past

**Civil Industries R&D**

**New Zanzibar, Earth**

**3 years after the death of the **

**Director of Project Freelancer**

The poor perimeter guard didn't know what happened to him until he was laying on the ground unconscious. A light blue armored woman slipped along the wall until she came to the corner. She peeked around and eyed several more guards around the entrance. Carolina took a few steps back and spoke softly. "Church, eyes up." A small cobalt hologram appeared, and spoke through the speakers in her helmet. "Geez, whats with you and using code? Can't you just say, 'hey Church, what's up?' or maybe, 'Church, please tell me what you see?' or better yet..."

Before he could continue, Carolina growled under her breath. "Epsilon. Give me Delta. What are the odds?" Church sighed and his hologram now took on a greenish tint with older looking armor, using a voice that matched his own, but with a slight computer tone. "It appears to be heavily fortified, equipped with high powered assault rifles, shotguns, and grenades. Our odds of penetrating have lowered from forty seven percent to twenty four percent."

During their hunt for loose equipment and armor from Project Freelancer, Epsilon has learned to shift into the different memories of the other AI from the program and access they abilities. It was difficult at first to have him jump from one personality to another, taking several hours, sometimes even days to transfer between and back to himself. But with all the missions they've been running, and the practice in between, Epsilon was able to shift between personalities so seamlessly that the change was never noticed until the AI spoke.

She focused on the mission at hand. These guys were trying to mass produce stolen Freelancer armor. She was going to destroy the whole facility. "Is there any other way into the facility? A vent or something?"

"No. It is a secure facility that supports a sterile environment for creating and building the armor you seek to destroy. There are no intake or exit vents."

"Looks like the only way in is to knock on the front door. Church, I need Theta." Epsilon returned to his normal self and glared at her. "No. Fucking. Way. I am NOT going to be that little kid. He's such a goddamn wuss."

"Church, we don't have time. We worked with Theta. He's grown a lot since he was last with North. And I need him to enhance my armor ability."

"Come on. Can't you use someone else? Eta and Iota? Omega? Hell, I'll even take Gamma!"

Carolina finally became annoyed. "A. I am not letting Eta and Iota in my head from the last time they were there and I couldn't fight Tex. B. Omega has anger issues and doesn't help. C. Gamma is too complicated to work with. D. Before you even ask, Sigma has his own agenda. And finally E, shut the hell up and give me Theta!"

Something caught her attention and she looked to see a nervous soldier looking at her from the hall where she was. They stared at each other for a moment. Before the guard could bring up his weapon and call for help, Carolina charged and grabbed him, slamming him into the wall. She turned and started sprinting toward the opening where the entrance was. "Epsilon. Theta. NOW!" He responded with his voice mixed with that of a small child. "I'm here. What do you need?"

She jumped out and kicked the first man in the head hard, nearly caving in his helmet. "I need you too move any unneeded power to my armor ability. Keep it up for as long as you can. I need to keep it to take all these guys down." As she dodged a pair of guards trying to grab her, Theta spoke. "Okay, it's done. But it won't last for long." Carolina smiled beneath her helmet. "It won't take too long."

She crouched down and charged forward, activating her armor speed ability. Quickly and nimbly, she ran after each of the guards, taking them out with precise, surgical punches and kicks. Theta cheered as she slammed two soldiers into each other and gave a rough meeting with the ground. "Alright. They went down easy." Carolina looked around. "A little too easy. Something isn't right."

She walked to the front door and managed to get inside. The building was fairly large in the city. She knew the R&D department was on the fifty second floor. "Epsilon, are the elevators working?" Church appeared next to her. "Um, I think so. It doesn't look like their damaged. It would be a hell of a lot easier than taking the stairs." She ran over and pushed a button. The doors opened and she stepped into the car, letting it carry her up to the fifty second floor. Church spoke as she drew out her pistol and checked it. "So what exactly are we going to do?"

"We're going to go in and destroy all the armor there. Their not going to make armor from the program and get away with it. Funny. Now I know how Wash feels when he went on those recovery missions." The elevator dinged and Carolina got read to charge out. When they opened, she did the one thing she never did before. She froze. Stunned.

The long hall where she walked into was littered with bodies of not just guards, but scientists and civilians as well. The walls were covered with the spattered blood of those she saw on the floor. She had seen death before, but never something so cruel, heartless, and almost savage like. Church was just as shocked as she was. "What the hell happened here? These people...they look like...they never had a chance." Carolina looked at them as she walked around the bodies. "I don't know. Something got here before us."

They moved into the assembly room where she saw rows and rows of Freelancer armor. "This looks like the place." She only took a few steps in and Church looked around. "You hear that?" Carolina stopped and listened. She glanced at him for a second. "The high pitched whistling noise followed by a series of random clicks?"

"It wasn't helpful when Tucker did it, why do you think it would now? There's a beep. Somewhere in here. By the third armor assembly line." Carolina walked over to the third assembly machine and looked around. It looked like a normal machine to assemble the armor. There was something different. She looked at the object and saw a series of numbers. A bomb. A damn bomb. "The place is going to blow!" She only had a few seconds left. She spun and ran to the window, jumping out of it as the bomb detonated, taking the building with it. Carolina landed in another building ad looked back at the damage. "Someone was here before us. Epsilon, are you alright? Church?" No voice came. She turned and saw him staring at a wall. She walked up and looked at the AI. "What is it?" Church never took his eyes off the wall. "Look." She looked at the wall. A large number was scratched into the wall. It simply said '49 – 42'. Church looked at the numbers. "It looks too easy. Forty nine minus forty two. Seven. Oh god, I know math. I'm becoming Simmons!"

Carolina looked at it harder, seeing something familiar. "This...we have to go." She ran through the building and down outside. She had to hurry and get to one of the only other people she trusted. One of the last Freelancers alive with her, who was now working with the Blues.


	3. Shattered Shield

**Medical Station _Eternal Shield_**

**In orbit around Devi VII**

**0415 Earth Standard Time**

**2 Days Ago**

"Alright dude, no sweat. We'll get that shuttle to you in no time with no crime. We'll see ya around, yo." Vic killed the communication and leaned back in his chair. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Jeez_, I hate this new post. A stupid medical station. You'd think that command would give me a better post after all I did with those Red and Blue guys. Oh well, at least I got a radio job._ He looked up at the clock and saw it was time for him to leave. "Well, quitting time. Maybe I'll go check out the karaoke scene. Find me a nice chick to see and show her how old Vic rolls." He got up from his console and walked off to where the station had a recreation facility.

As he walked down the hall, the lights suddenly shut down. Vic looked around trying to find out what happened. _Must be a power outage. No worries yo. Vic has some lights in his crib._ He memorized the area from before and quickly found his way back to his quarters. He searched around and found a flashlight. But just as he found it, the lights came back on. _Man, I go through all the trouble and for nothing. _A voice spoke from behind him. "Hello Vic."

Vic spun around and saw a large man in Spartan armor by the door, red with black trim. The Spartan walked up to the radio operator. Vic swallowed and finally found his voice. "Yo man, how did you get in my crib? Who are you?"

The man rolled his head. "You can call me...Alaska. You have information I need, Vic."

"Like what man? I can show you how ta party and how to get some hot chicks." However, the last part was cut off when the man punched Vic hard in the stomach, sending him to the floor. As Vic gasped for air, Alaska picked him up and pushed him to the wall. "Now Vic. We can do this several ways. I'm going to ask you questions. If you answer them truly, then everything will be fine. If not, well, I just hope the doctors will be able to fix your fingers and face when we're done here."

Vic became scared. This guy was serious and wanted to know whatever it was he knew, and he was no push over. Alaska leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "Now then Vic, let's get started, shall we? You were in contact with a command for a group of simulation troopers. Is that correct?"

"Y...yeah man. I was."

"Very good. Now then, during that time, you sent a Freelancer by the name of Texas to the simulated battle area. Is that correct as well?"

Vic nodded. Alaska continued to speak. "I want to know who it was that called in the Freelancer, and where they are stationed."

"Look man, I don't know who did it. I just work a radio." Alaska was fast. In the blink of an eye, he was over Vic while he was on his knees in pain, one of his fingers broken and crushed in the Spartan's armored hand.

"Sorry Vic, but that is the wrong answer. You know who called in the Freelancer, and you know where they are. Tell me."

Vic looked up. "A...alright. His name...is Tucker. Last I knew...they were at Blood Gulch."

Alaska loosened his grip. "Good. That wasn't so hard, was it? Last question. Have you had any contact with other Freelancers besides Agent Texas?" After Vic shook his head, Alaska let go and stood up. "Thank you Vic. You have been very helpful." He picked Vic up and stood him straight. "I just have a bit of bad news. I'm afraid Karaoke Night is canceled."

All Vic saw was a blur and then he saw red covering his vision. Everything went black and Vic slumped to the floor as Alaska put his pistol away.

Alaska sat in his ship as it departed the station. "Was that really necessary, Omicron? We got the primary target. The others were innocent." Omicron spoke to him in his helmet. "It is possible he disclosed information to the others there. It is simple quarantine procedure."

Alaska looked back and watched as the medical station went up in a series of explosions that he set. "Right. Quarantine." He looked ahead at the emptiness of space. "Have you ran through the information we got from that guy?"

"I have. Blood Gulch was a box canyon with two bases built in it that served as a simulation battle area."

"Why on earth would anyone build a base there? Those guys would have gone insane."

"Regardless of what happened, the simulation troopers have moved around. They now reside back in Blood Gulch. Washington is there. A course has been laid in and we are on our way there."

Alaska leaned back in his chair. "Let me see the data on the simulation troops there." As he spoke, a screen appeared showing all the data he needed. Names, psychological profiles, background history, everything.

Alaska sighed and touched his helmet with his fingers. "Taking out simulation troopers. I almost feel bad for them."


End file.
